Community Care Units

What we do

We operate 80 beds across four Community Care Unit (CCUs) in Flemington, St Albans, Preston and Broadmeadows.

Our four CCUs provide 24 hour recovery-focused rehabilitation in a community residential setting to people who usually have multiple and complex needs.

Our CCUs aim to increase a person's psychosocial independence through a variety of person-centred programs to develop daily living skills. These programs include:

• access to multidisciplinary clinical support and treatment, including regular medical psychiatric review, Allied Health and 24 hour nursing support
• residential rehabilitation programs based on need
• individualised assessment, care planning and review of suitability for less restrictive treatment and care
• psycho-education and support to family/carers and promotion of continued links between people and their family/carers
• monitoring, engagement and support of people receiving compulsory treatment under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 2014
• promotion of community links and partnerships to foster integration into the broader community

Eligibility

The CCU provides specialised services to consumers who are already registered with a local area mental health service, and:

• have moderate to severe psychiatric illness and associated disability with significantly reduced psycho-social functioning
• are aged 18-64 years
• require intensive recovery-oriented community residential treatment and intervention to reduce the impact of ongoing mental illness, evidenced by multiple admissions in last 12 months and intensive outreach support required
• are willing to engage on some level with a multidisciplinary team, and risks are manageable in an open community set up
• reside in the appropriate catchment area for a NorthWestern Mental Health service
• due to their illness and disability, cannot live in an alternative community setting

Other considerations

Considerations are given to consumers who have complex needs, this may include, in addition to a psychiatric component, multiple disabilities associated with:

• drug and/or alcohol
• Intellectual disability
• personality traits or disorder
• challenging behaviours

Consideration is also given to consumers who demonstrate a willingness to be collaboratively involved in psycho-social rehabilitation with identified goals such as financial, self-care and vocational.

Locations

Find out more about Community Care Unit (CCU) locations.